What We Have is Real
by MildredHelper
Summary: Just a little Outlaw Queen One-shot. This is my first time writing for them, but I'd really like to explore this ship further. I cannot wait for them to be on the show together. (The cover image is not mine).


"Robin!" Regina Mills cried out in ecstasy, her hands clawing at his back.

"Yes, m'lady," he whispered in her ear seductively.

"I love you," she said, believing it with every fiber of her being.

"And I love you too," he said, exhausted, as he settled down next to her in the bed. The sound of their heavy breathing, the only noise in the room.

She fell in to his arms and sighed satisfactorily as her mind went elsewhere.

_When she had first been transported back to the Enchanted Forest, she had been so angry because not only did she lose the person she held most dear, but also her magic. She had thought that by doing the right thing for someone else, her magic would be restored not depleted, but that was her mistake. She thought that time was supposed to go back to where they were before the curse, but when they arrived, it was as if they had literally been uprooted from Storybrooke and just been plopped down in the middle of the Enchanted Forest with their modern day clothing and attitudes. The Charmings were actually being kind to her, offering her a place to stay, thanking her for preserving good memories for their daughter, and surprisingly not blaming her for everything that had happened. She could tell that they wanted to be alone, though, perhaps to start over and have another child? She didn't know, nor did she really care. Her heart would not allow her to stay under their roof. Some of the old feelings of hatred had seeped back into her soul, and she knew that without magic, it would be torture for her to carry on, but that was a chance that she must be willing to take. _

_It was a long journey back to her palace, if there even was a palace left, she didn't know. She carried on though her feet were killing her. Every few miles, she attempted her magic but to no avail. Suddenly, the sound of a horse galloping came behind her. She had no idea who it could be, so she hid behind a tree, until the horse and rider passed. The rider jumped off and bent down to get a drink of water from the stream she had just drank from. When he stood up and turned around, her heart dropped into her stomach. The man with the lion tattoo was only feet from her. He was helping someone else off of the horse, a little someone. She tried not to gasp. A son. He had a son. She was terribly conflicted. Tinker Bell had said that this man was her soul mate. This could be her only chance at happiness, but she was afraid to take it. Then, the voice of a younger version of herself echoed through her head, "The only way to overcome fear is to face it." Timidly, she came out from behind the tree. _

"_H-hello?"_

_The man with the lion tattoo spun around to face her. When their eyes met, she was sure that her heart was going to melt. _

_She got up the courage to ask one more thing. "Do you believe in fate?"_

"Sweetheart?" Her head snapped up as she was brought back to reality. "What are you thinking about?"

"N-nothing," she looked at him as he traced a pattern on her bare shoulder.

He looked at her quizzically and held his arms out for her. She snuggled into his embrace.

"You know, Roland adores you. He's so happy that you're his mother."

A lump rose in her throat as she thought about her little prince. She loved Roland dearly, and it had been a fantastic experience to be not only a wife for the first time, but a mother again, but she longed for Henry. She had raised him since before he could hold his head up. He had truly been hers until the savior had shown up. Her nostrils flared at the humanity of it all.

"Shh," Robin whispered to her. "You're a wonderful mother, and what you did for your other son...that's what makes you so great. You did what was best for him, not yourself, and that's what being a parent is all about."

A tear rolled down her cheek, and she looked at him intently with her wide eyes. He rubbed his thumb across her face, gently, wiping away the tear. "You're going to forgive yourself someday, you know that, right?"

She shook her head.

"You will, but until then, you need to try to be happy. Roland and I-we love you."

She thought about what he said. _Love_. That was such a curious word. She hadn't thought she'd feel this type of love for anyone again after Daniel's death, but here she was, in the arms of the man who cared about her. She only wished that she had listened to Tink all those years ago. She would have saved herself a world of regret.

His arms were around her, and it felt so right. She chose her words carefully. "I've heard that villans don't get happy endings, but I know I've found one with you."

Their lips found each other as the sun started to rise on another day toward self forgiveness.


End file.
